Child protection decision making: a factorial analysis using case vignettes

This study explored decision making by child protection social workers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A factorial survey method was used in which case vignettes were constructed by randomly assigning a number of key characteristics associated with decision making in child protection. Child protection social workers (n = 118) assessed case vignettes (n = 327) for risk, service provision, and importance of client contact. In British Columbia, child protection social workers are expected to make decisions using a risk assessment model. However, as social workers begin to work with clients to facilitate change, relationship factors such as home visits and client contact also become important. The research indicated that social workers made decisions through an integration of objective, procedural, and experiential knowledge. Decisions about risk and service provision were influenced by technocratic knowledge, such as the risk assessment model. Decisions related to the amount of contact with clients and other supportive functions were influenced by individual characteristics of the social workers. The results suggest that in child protection decision making, social workers are moving beyond a reliance on objective tools such as risk assessment to also use internalized subjective knowledge.